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Shopping News: C&T Costello Tagliapietra at Barneys New York

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Fans of Jeffrey Costello and Robert Tagliapietra of the acclaimed line Costello Tagliapietra were surely delighted by the April launch of their capsule collection of affordable dresses, sold exclusively at Barneys New York"we certainly were! Eponymously named C&T Costello Tagliapietra, the collection includes a range of romantic, figure-flattering silhouettes, all featuring the designers signature draping and a slew of gorgeous colors. Today, however, marks the introduction of the lines exquisite floral-print dresses, perfect for an afternoon wedding or evening soiree. To learn even more about C&T Costello Tagliapietra and the new-for-summer designs, we headed to Barneys New York where we chatted with the designers about everything from what draws them to certain silhouettes to how the capsule collection all began. Scroll down to see a few of our favorite dress styles and be sure to check out our exclusive Q&A with Robert Tagliapietra!
Robert Tagliapietra and Jeffrey Costella
Hanne Dress ($298, 888.222.7639)
Floral Berries Dress ($298)
Andover Dress ($298)
Q&A with Robert Tagliapietra
What do you love about designing for women?
The whole goal of our brand has always been to make dresses comfortable, and not be so hung up on all this traditional corsetry. The beautiful dressmakers that we are inspired by really were about reductive dressmaking, taking away all of the constrictions and complexity and making it something easy that you throw on and feel beautiful, elegant, and sophisticated in. We want to make dresses that women can really hang out in, and not worry about anything.
How did your relationship with Barneys begin, and what spawned you to create this capsule collection for Barneys Co-Op?
Its funny because we launched our collection back in 2005 and Vogue was really our first big supporter, and right after that came Julie Gilhart from Barneys New York, she was really such a huge supporter and pulled us in. Barneys was our first retailer, and it was so exiting to have our clothes there because its always been a dream of ours. For us, when we knew we were launching C&T it was such a no-brainer to approach the girls at Barneys.
What draws you to certain fabrics and silhouettes?
Growing up in families that are dressmakers, its always been about the hand and touching and feeling the fabric, and having that guttural reaction that this is the best fabric for that type of dress. At the core, we want fabrics that feel luxurious and look beautiful; its an artistic thing. I love the art of pattern making, and the draping is such an easy vehicle for our expression.
What was the inspiration behind the prints you used?
The color scheme came out of the idea of trying to do a new kind of floral. We made two different floral prints that we worked on, hand-painted, and then doctored up on the computer. They became these sort of textural florals, but in doing that we wanted to see them as sort of some otherworldly garden. The colors arent easy to pinpoint; they have so many undertones, so they are really up to interpretation. That complexity of color has always been a part of our DNA.
What kind of woman do you envision wearing C&T Costella Tagliapietra?
We always say she is every woman. When we met in 1994 we were doing a lot of private clients and personal wardrobes. Its not about dressing a 19-year-old model, but really every woman throughout her ages and body concerns, and really addressing all of those issues that you are forced to. When we created both our main line and this line, its been about dealing with those issues, being pragmatic about them, and thinking through all of them.